The Bone Doll
by Dallas W
Summary: Fawkes' mind is slowly unraveling toward his more primal instincts, and is becoming more dangerous and violent. Desperate to quell the beast's broken and tormented heart, The Lone Wanderer and Fawkes realize they need each other more then they'd thought.
1. True Freedom

Been bouncing this idea back and forth in my head, and felt it was best to start it from the scene in which the two meet in the game... Most of the dialogue is word for word. I just love Fawke's character, and how crazy he sounds half the time. Haha.

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><p>Wiping sweat from my brow and peeling my bangs from my forehead, I breathed heavily and turned from the massive body of the mutant. I gritted my teeth, taking the bullets out of his rifle and replinishing my dwindling supply of ammo. I continued to stumble down the sector of the vault which my Pip Boy deemed "Test Labs". I shuddered for a moment, but kept moving down the hallway. I could hear the heavy steps of another Mutant up ahead, and I ducked low and held my breath. Peeking over the side of the corridor, I viewed the giant ahead of me, and opened fire.<p>

"I thought I heard something!" It howled and stumbled toward me despite the array of bullets that filled its' belly. "Time to die!" It shouted, swinging a nail board at my and hitting my shoulder. I heard my shoulder crack and for a moment, pondered if it was broken. I was on my back now, staring as it raised the board over its' head and grinned intensely. I finally snapped out of it and shot at the beast's head, knocking it off of its' shoulders. I quivered for a moment on the ground, then pulled myself to my feet. The only thing I could think about right now was Dad dying in vain, and I couldn't let his dream fall apart before it had even begun. I walked down the hallways quietly, peeking inside the rooms. One room held a mass of flushed pink flesh. I stepped a little closer, feeling the heat from the vat in the floor. I quickly moved out of the room, touching my skin to make sure nothing had changed. I stifled a nervous laugh and pulled my gaze from the mound of distorted flesh on the floor and continued down the hall.

I peered into an empty room, in which a skeleton lay on a table gathering dust. I could still see a tattered vault uniform covering the pearly white bones, and for a moment I wondered how long it had lay in the room. Stepping lightly I walked past a closed door, and toward another windowed room. I was just about to save myself the sight of another mangled body, when a voice crept into the hallway. "You... Over there. Please, come speak to me. I'm in the room to your left. Use the intercom next to the window."

It was one of their voices, no doubt, and I gripped my assault rifle like a child grabs a stuffed toy on a stormy night. My dark eyes peered into the room at the hulking mutant, and then to the intercom. I clicked the button, simplying stating, "Yes?"

"It can't be! Either you are quite real, or I am going quite mad. Could you actually be a pure human?" It questioned, occasionally turning its' somewhat benevolent gaze toward me.

"Yeah, I'm human." I said stiffly, staring at the creature. "But what are you?"

"Me?" His reply came hastily. "You care who I am?"

I scuffed my shoe on the cracked floor, and cocked a brow at him. Instinctively I turned around to glance at the hallways, pondering if this was some sort of trap.

"Forgive me, but I'm not used to such pleasantries. I'm more used to grunts and being struck around by the others. My name's Fawkes. I've lived in this... Cage, all my life."

I shrugged, pulling my bangs from my forehead once again, the black locks feeling greasy against my skin. "How ironic that the others consider you a mutant of their kind."

Fawkes nodded his head, "Yes, indeed it is ironic." He mused, "Forgive my astonishment, but I hadn't expected to meet someone with such a learned outlook of these things. It is a pleasant change." He paused, looking over my face and putting two and two together. "I suppose I shouldn't be suprised, it was only a matter of time before someone like you showed up for the G.E.C.K."

I perked up for a minute, my eyes wide. "What do you know about the G.E.C.K.?" I questioned eagerly, our gazes meeting.

"I know what it is, I know where it is, and best of all, I know how you can get your hands on it."

"Good," I said hastily, already feeling I was wasting too much time on this beast. "Tell me everything you know about it then!"

"Not so fast," He responded, turning the conversation in his favor. Quid pro quo, my friend. If I'm to do this service for you, I expect to get something in return."

I stared at him, biting my lip. Of course he would say this. "Release me from this makeshift prison and I will personally take you to the G.E.C.K. and retrieve it for you."

I shook my head, fearing this was too good to be true. Althought I was lying, I didn't exactly want this one walking around and swinging at me, either. My shoulder throbbed dully, and I replied flatly, "Im not worried. I can mow down whatever's in my way."

Fawkes seemed to anticipate this, "Unless your weapons can destroy radiation," He laughed heartily at this, and it sent shudders down my spine. "I'd say that will prove difficult. The G.E.C.K. is in a chamber flooded with deadly radiation. I doubt you could survive inside very long. However, I can." His eyes met mine through the thick plate of glass, and he looked pleadingly at me. "Let me out of here, and I will place the G.E.C.K. safely in your hands."

I shifted my weight to my left foot and frowned, realizing he was right. "Alright," I finally replied. "How do I get you out?"

"At the end of the hallway to your right is a maintenance room. Inside, you'll find the fire control console for the medical area. Trip the alarm on it, and I'll be able to get out."

I started to turn from the cell when he piped up, "Oh, a word of warning though. Tripping the console activates a failsafe and will open ALL of the recovery rooms in the medical area. So, what do you think? Can you do it?"

All of the cells open? This just gets better and better. Who knows what kind of twisted creatures would come running out of the cells at me. Then again, no one had said this would be easy. "Okay Fawkes, you've got a deal." I replied, shifting my gaze from him and down the hall towards the supposed maintenance room.

"I'm glad to see you are a sensible person. Now, get me out of this place. I can't stand it anymore!" I heard him respond, and I rolled my eyes. _Yeah, yeah. I bet you are, _I thought bitterly. _You're not the only one, bub._

Peering down the hall, to my dismay a few Centaurs slithered around inside one of the cells, tongues whipping around eagerly as their souless eyes locked on me. I turned from them and peered into another cell, in which a man was running around frantically and screaming to himself about how everyone was dead. I felt a pang of guilt in my heart, but I couldn't exactly rescue him when I wasn't sure how I was even getting out of this Hell of a Vault myself.

I shifted and there was a door before me, of which I was sure was the maintenance room entrance. _Well, here it goes. _I opened the door and my heart sank when my gaze met with two very angry looking mutants. One roared at me, and as if on instinct I flicked a plasma grenade from my pocket and shut the door again. I heard them roaring for a moment before it detonated, and then I heard nothing else stirring inside of the room. I opened the door, my eyes burning from the stench of death and their already naturally pungent odor. Quickly entering, I stumbled over their bodies and reached a terminal. Hacking it after a few tries, I tricked the alarm and ran like hell back to Fawkes. _He had better keep his word!_

I quickly passed the cells before their tomb like doors had opened and unleashed the creatures inside, and hastily stopped in front of Fawkes' cell, panting heavily. My hands were on my knees, and I was doubled over, the pain in my shoulder throbbing worse now. He came out of his cell clutching a sledgehammer, and for a moment I almost flinched, thinking him to bash me over the head with it. He stepped out of the cell, looking down to meet my gaze. "Finally... Freedom! True freedom! I cannot thank you enough for this gift." I grinned sheepishly for a moment, standing up straight and uncomfortably listening to the slither and step of the creatures from down the hall exiting their cells.

"You have no idea how long I've pictured this moment in my mind... And it feels far better than I'd imagined. Now, for my part of the bargain." He added, then stepped passed me and continued down the hall. "Follow me." We exited the Testing Chamber before the mass of monstrocity's could catch up to us, and I shuddered as the door shut tight from the testing room. I swallowed hard, still a little nervous in trusting this mutant.

But what other choice did I have?


	2. Captured

Was in the mood to write tonight, this chapter is a little long and is sort of a spoiler if you have never finished the game, the next chapter is a major spoiler... Be warned! I told you so!

Read and Review, thanks!

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><p>Following the lumbering oaf was a little less nerve wracking than I had thought. His steps seemed to echo down our new corridor of horrors, and I always felt panic tingling up my spine when I peered into the new rooms that lay on either side of us. Not once had another mutant been in them yet, thankfully, but at times I wondered if Fawkes would turn on me to gain the acceptance of his... <em>Brethren<em>. However these fears quickly melted once we had gone up a flight of stairs, and one of the larger mutants had spied us.

"Found you!" It howled in a gutteral voice, and started shooting at us in a flurry of lazers. I gripped my gun quickly, but found that it was in vain. Before I knew it, Fawkes was yelling about how the other mutant's time had run out and slammed his sledgehammer into the other mutant's head. A sickening crack sounded through the room, and the massive body crashed to the floor, no longer animated. I shuddered for a moment, breaking out in a cold sweat. I peered up at Fawkes through my bangs, who simply stepped over the body and kept strolling through the room, as if the battle hadn't even taken place. I kept following the lime green skinned ogre, but still kept a slight distance between the two of us. We hadn't even finished reaching the top of another flight of stairs when another of his kind had found us, and ran at the two of us clutching a heavy pipe.

"You're going to pay for what you did to me!" Fawkes howled, rushing at the mutant. I stood back still, raising an eyebrow at the two of them scuffle and Fawkes promptly beat the other beast to death. Fawkes stood over the new mangled body, breathing heavily, then returning to his somewhat reserved composure and continuing down the hall. I shut my eyes tight and reopened them, thinking this to be too good to be true. I hadn't even lifted a finger, and I was really starting to feel assured that this hulking mass wouldn't turn on me. I shuffled after him as he continued down the hall, swinging his massive arms as he walked. We turned down another hall and the same scene replayed before my eyes, Fawkes was crushing another crazed mutant, and doing it with such malice and vendetta that I dare not intervene. I studied his massive form, looking over his tattered Vault 87 uniform which barely clung to his disturbingly muscled form. I rubbed my shoulder, debating on whether or not to pull a stimpack from my bag or not to temporarily fix it. This little outing was easier than I had expected with this monster on my side, that was for sure. I stepped after him slowly, tilting my head, as thoughts of holding the G.E.C.K. in my hands become more tangible.

We entered a room at the end of the hall finally, and Fawkes turned to face me, nodding toward the door in the room. "Okay," He stated, and I stopped, resting my hands on my hips and listening. "You stay here. Beyond this door, the hallways and chambers are flooded with radiation. I'll get the case and bring it right back. Keep your eyes open, many of my lesser-minded brethren are bound to stumble across us." I nodded silently, as Fawkes dissapeared through the door in the room. I stepped back into the corner of the room, eyeing the door we had entered, and the door Fawkes had dissapeared through. I felt a little uneasy being alone once more, and already slightly missed having the behemoth on my side. I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves and keeping quiet.

It seemed like ages, but Fawkes finally returned, the G.E.C.K. in tow. "As promised, here's the G.E.C.K. I hope it's worth it. Well, I'm afraid this is where you and I part company." It could have just been my imagination, but I almost felt I had heard a tinge of sadness in Fawkes' voice. "I'll find my way back out of this place, don't worry. Maybe we'll meet again somewhere in the Wasteland."

"Maybe," I replied simply, and gave him a half-assed grin. I was damn tired, and now I had the frustrating journey of trudging through Little Lamplight, and not to mention all the smart mouthed brats that were scattered about the caverns. I turned from Fawkes without another word, and clutching my rifle, exited the room.

The dimly light corridors had an increasingly eerie feeling to them as I walked through them alone, the confusing turns of the Vault feeling like a maze. I hurried down one of the flights of stairs in the Vault, passing numerous bodies of the mutants that Fawkes' had destroyed on the way to the G.E.C.K.

Finally reaching one of the doors, I opened it with a wry grin and saw the familiar blood splattered floor from earlier. _Almost home free_, I thought, and eagerly entered the room, only to come in contact with a strange metal device emitting blue waves. "What the he-" I didn't even have a chance to finish, when it exploded before me. I couldn't see at all, and the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat steadily beating in my chest. My eyes finally focused again, and I realized I was laying on the cold Vault floor. The door across from me opened, and I slowly focused on two Enclave soldiers entering.

"Objective is secured, sir."

I hazily viewed a man enter, who kneeled before me. "Good work, soldier. Make sure the G.E.C.K. is secured aboard my Vertibird."

"Yes sir! I'll have the techs come down and remove it immediately, sir."

"You're certain she's unharmed?" He question the soldier, turning to him. My head throbbed dully, and I slowly began to wonder if I'd seen this man before.

"Yes sir! She'll pass out shortly, but we can revive her."

"Excellent." The older man flashed a smile, and continued, "Prepare her for transport immediately."

"Right away sir!"

The man turned from me with a slight look of disgust, and walked confidently out of the room.

I felt my eyes growing heavier, and then the world turned to utter and complete darkness.

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><p>My eyes flashed open, and I peered at the man in the tan trenchcoat again, standing ahead of me in a blue lit room, reading<em> Cell 4<em> on a circular door. I struggled for a moment, then realized I was bound to the wall. Gritting my teeth, I stared at him with such an animosity that I felt my body shudder.

"So, you're awake," He said casually, as if we were having a conversation over dinner. "Let's keep this nice and simple. You're going to tell me the code for that Purifier, and you're going to tell me now." He commanded, his icy eyes boring into mine.

"Let me out of here now!" I snarled, glowering back at the aged man.

"**If** you tell me the code, it might be worth your life. But you're really not in a position to be demanding anything, are you?" He sneered up at me, and I felt my stomach churn from anxiety.

"Fuck you, I'm not telling you anything." I said icily, narrowing my eyes at him, my lips pressed in a firm line.

He sighed, shaking his head and frowning at me. "I'll be honest," He stared, rubbing his temples. "I'm running out of patience here, and I'm not looking to play games with you. You tell me that code, or it's going to cost you." His tanned face had tiny beads of sweat developing, and he fanned himself for a moment, waiting for my answer.

"No, seriously. Fuck you."

"Why do you insist on provoking me?" He snarled, losing composure for a moment. "Tell me the code **now**."

"Colonel, I have need of you." I perked up, recognizing the President's voice floating through the room. The colonel turned, clutching a pistol in his hand. "Mr. President I have no time for other matters, I'll be with you shortly."

"Now Colonel," The President said in a voice you would use to talk down to a child.

"Yes sir." The Colonel replied bitterly, putting away his weapon and exiting the cell without another word.

"Ah, alone at last." The President's voice oozed through the room, and I furrowed my brows, pondering why the lazy leader hadn't just come to visit me in person. It wasn't like I could do anything destructive bound to this wall, anyway. "I do apologize for Colonel Autumn's attitude. He's been under a great deal of stress lately. I have no doubt that you know who I am. I'm sure you have heard my radio broadcasts."

I rolled my eyes, already feeling impatient. "I'd like to have a word with you, face-to-face. I think there are a few things you and I should discuss. You'll find your possessions in the locker near the door. I'll unlock the way for you. And I'll unlock your restraints as well. I'll be waiting for you in my office. Please don't tarry."

I felt the restraints vanish, and I walked towards the locker cautiously, peering inside. My things were all there, and in an orderly fashion. I quickly put my clothes on, feeling a little disgusted that the Colonel had gotten an eyeful of me. I rolled my eyes, relinquishing the thoughts, and finally pulled on my gloves, peering at the cell door.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the panel to open the cell, and stepped out into the hallway.


	3. Friend

Lots of spoilers from the game, got off work and felt like writing... Blah, blah.

Enjoy!

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><p>The door opened, and I stepped out into the hall, only to be stopped by a soldier. "Hold it right there!" He barked at me, and I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at him. "You're supposed to be in that holding cell. You're not going anywhere! There's a full complement of gaurds in the next room. As soon as I get them, you're going back to your cell. In a body bag, if necessary."<p>

I flashed a smile at him, and twirled a finger in one of my very few locks of hair. "Actually, I'm supposed to be going to see President Eden." I smirked, noticing his change of heart immediately. "The President?" He repeated, baffled. "Uh, could you put in a good word for me?" He asked, putting his rifle away. "Oh, and don't tell him I had my uniform on backwards today..." He trailed off, staring down at his clothes. "But of course!" I replied, and started off down the hallway. I left the room easily, and exited out of a door. Heading up a flight of stairs and passing by quite a few confused Enclave soldiers, I felt at ease. Walking down a lengthy corridor and nearing a marked room for the President, an alarm suddenly sounded. I jerked, then my nerves finally calmed down. Eden's voice oozed through the intercom, and everyone around me stood at attention.

"Attention personnel! This is your President. Ignore my previous orders of not harming the prisoner from Vault 101, shoot her on sight!" Eden commanded through the intercom, and I felt all the eyes in the room drawn to me. "Son of a..." I hissed, before ducking behind the door and barely escaping fire from a lazer. "She's in there!" One yelled, and I could hear their heavy footsteps charging through the hall. _Well isn't this just fucking fantastic... _I was seething with anger, and quickly pulled a grenade out of my pocket and pulled the pin with my teeth. Tossing it behind me into the corridor, I bolted and flew down the next hall, escaping through a door. I was soon greeted by more of Eden's mindless drones, and I ducked their firepower by a hair and charged up a flight of stairs. "This is hopeless!" I hissed, and nearly tripped as I entered the top of the stairs and crawled through another door. This room was different, somehow. The humming and clinks of machinery inside filled the room, and I stepped further inside it, viewing its' blue-ish glow and large monitors in the center. I stepped towards it cautiously, and my mouth dropped open when it spoke.

"Ah, face to face at last. It's high time we met." I blinked a couple times, not believing what I had heard. I recognized Eden's voice insantly, floating from the computer, and stood in front of it.

"I am quite pleased you were able to make it. The trip was not what I had intended, but serves as an adequate test of your abilities."

"If we're meeting face to face, then show yourself. Don't hide behind a damn monitor."

"Ah, but I have! I am right here before you."

My eyes narrowed, and I felt an ugly feeling boiling inside my gut. "You're a computer? I should have guessed as much." I coughed for a moment, listening to the whirs and strange noises the computer began emitting to respond to me.

"How very open-minded of you. Kudos for embracing the reality of the situation, rather than railing against it. Let's get to brass tacks, shall we? There are some things I'd like to talk to you about."

I bit my lip, tossing my hair back for a moment and tilting my head. It felt a little odd to speak to this machine as if it were some living, breathing being, but then again, there were wierder things out here in the Wasteland.

"I'm listening." I responded finally, eyeing the monitor.

"Our nation's Capital is at a crossroads. The path that you and I choose here today will affect us all. I need you to act on my behalf, to ensure that our country's future is secured."

"Explain what you mean." I said flately, stuffing my hands in my jacket pockets.

"My abilities to influence the world are limited at this time. I alone can only do so much. You, however, can come and go as you please. You have a greater degree of freedom. Perhaps it is best if I explain why things need to change, and why I'd like you to act on my behalf."

"Well, gone on." I sighed, scuffing my boot on the floor. "I'm still listening."

"The good people of this country cannot regain control while mutation runs rampant through our land. My soldiers cannot stem the tide, nor can the cult you've come into contact with, this Brotherhood of Steel. Mutations like the _super mutants _and ghouls must be purged from our society, our world, before we can proceed anew. Where other's have failed, I believe your father's work can succeed."

"My father's work?" I inquired. "How is that even relevant?"

"The Purifier your father helped create has the ability to provide clean water to the whole of this _Capital Wasteland_. With a simple modification, it can be used to distribute agents that destroy mutated creatures upon ingestion. In time, we could eliminate all mutations in the Wasteland at the same time the good people of our world would regain their health. I need you to make the modification necessary for this to succeed."

I shooked my head, feeling frustration start tingling in the back of my mind. Precious time was being lost, while I sat here chatting away with a computer. I shrugged, shaking my head. "How exactly would I go about doing this?" I said simply, licking my lips.

"In front of you will be a vial of the modified FEV virus. It can be inserted into the control console for the purifier. Doing so will inject it into the water supply, and the purifier will take care of the rest. You just need the code to activate the purifier. Simple, isn't it?"

"I'll give it some thought."

"I understand. It's an unusual request; one I wouldn't make if it weren't of the utmost importance. Please understand that I cannot allow you to leave until you've taken the vial."

Feeling like a rat trapped in a cage, I peered around the room and felt my heart tighten in my chest. I sure as hell didn't want to be trapped here, but I didn't want that vial of death in my hands, either. "Why do you need my help? Why not use that Colonel of yours?"

"Ah, yes. Colonel Autumn. My trusted subordinate." Eden's monitor flashed blue and continued to make motions as if it were speaking to me. It was really starting to creep me out.

"I'm sure you have noticed that Colonel Autumn and I do not see eye-to-eye these days, figuratively speaking of course. The good Colonel and I disagree on how best to approach the problem of the Wasteland. He feels my methods are too extreme. He has allowed humanity to cloud his objectivity. And now that he is publicly countermanding my orders, I can no longer rely on him. And so I turn to you. I hope that you are able to see the bigger picture, to understand what is at stake. And of course, if you are successful, there is a spot for you in the Enclave. Perhaps you could even succeed the Colonel as my confidant."

I shuddered for a moment, then finally spoke. "I'll be on my way, then."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Not until you have taken the vial."

I looked down on Eden's dashboard, a few flowers in a vase attracting my attention, before I turned the knob on to reach the vial for the virus. The panel shut slowly, and the computer ceased all conversation. I left from the door in which I had entered, and passed a few Sentry bots outside. They began killing every Enclave soldier that happened to come across me, so I was starting to leave with ease. It was a little sickening to watch the President destroy his own loyal followers, but lately all I ever saw was betrayal. I trudged through the levels of the compound, stopping only every so often to grab ammunition and look over my wounded shoulder. I was kneeling over a container when I prodded the broken flesh, and winced as a small trial of blood began to creep out. I shuddered, the flesh around the wound feeling unusually warm. Injecting a Stimpack in the shoulder and gritting my teeth from the pain, I stood back up and pocketed some more ammo.

The bots continued to blast the soldiers outside, and I stepped out when all were scattered and mangled. I stepped over arms that were laying in front of me, the fingers still twitching. I shuddered, walking towards a large gray door. Pressing my hand against it, I felt it give way and start opening. My Pipboy beeped, and I peered down at the tagline on my map, which now stated I was in a place called Raven Rock. "All right, good to know." I said softly, and stepped out into the sunlight. The bots stayed behind unfortunately, and the door closed to the compound. My eyes squinted in the sunlight, and I gave myself a few minutes for them to adjust. "All right, here it goes..." I sighed, stepping out. I could hear gunfire outside, and I felt like this might be my last little endeavor. Being wounded, and without Dogmeat... I felt my throat swell up. Poor guy was probably still waiting patiently in front of the Vault for me.

I shook the thoughts away and clutched my gun, heading up a concrete stairway. "Here it goes..." I mumbled, readying myself for a fight, and then instead standing over a scene which I couldn't even believe myself. "Fawkes? What?" I tilted my head, watching the mutant trudge through a desolate once gated courtyard, killing several Enclave members, laughing maniacally the entire time. "Good God, man." I couldn't believe how easily he was slaughtering the trained soldiers, as if they were herds of Brahmin. I walked out towards him as he obliterated the last Enclave man standing, who was ironically turning and running like Hell from the mutant. When Fawkes spied me, he eagerly put away his weapon and trudged toward me. I quivered for a moment, my mouth twisting in half a smile, though most of it was forced.

"My friend!" The green giant proclaimed, looking over me as if I were some glorious idol. "I see I've found you at last!"

"So you, uhm... So you have, Fawkes." I laughed nervously, pushing my greasy stands of hair back.

"I knew you had survived!" He continued, "And I had hoped to assist in your rescue to repay my debt to you."

"Uhhh..." I stared at him, feeling dizzy. I noticed the Gattling Lazer in his grip, and I piped up, "Looks like you got a new toy, eh?"

"Yes!" Fawkes replied eagerly, and I almost pitied him for a moment. He was like a lost child, desperate for someone to give him some, if any, sort of kindness. "It's a most fascinating one at that! Technology is amazing." He finished in his strained voice, staring proudly at it, before returning his benevolent gaze back to me. "Imagine the evil that can be eliminated with such tools!"

I cringed for a moment, remembering what Eden had said to me, and what I currently held in my possession. "Fawkes, what the hell are you even doing out here?" I managed to choke out, trying to put the vial in the back of my mind.

"I saw your capture, and a little cleverness allowed me to follow your captors. I only wish I could have arrived sooner to aid your escape! As I owe you my freedom, I felt that I return the favor. After all, I know no one else in this world."

A pained smile snuck its' way onto my face, and I laughed a little, rubbing my shoulder once more. Had he really come all the way out here to save me? I felt honored, really, considering I had only really released him to get the G.E.C.K. While he, on the other hand, had come out here entirely on my well-being. The desert air blew for a moment, and I looked up at his massive form, which towered over me. "Fawkes," I began, testing the words. He looked down at me with interest, his cloudy eyes peering down at me. "I could always use a hand," I stated simply, "Would you want to follow me?" I wasn't sure why I had asked him this. Maybe it was the fact I needed someone to look out for my wounded ass while I traveled back to get Dogmeat and set my head straight, or maybe it was because he had actually referred to me as a friend. No one had really did that since I had lived inside the Vault, and a flicker of hope had tinged in my heart when his muscled and somewhat deformed jaw had formed the words.

His eyes seemed to light up at my offer, and he looked a lot less like that lonely beast I had encountered in the Vault, and more like... Well... I found myself searching for the words, when he had finally spoken up. "My friend," He said, and I felt my smile flicker, then dissapear from my face, as always. "I would be honored to follow a hero such as yourself. Shall we go?" He began, when the both of us turned our attention to an explosion in the compound. A few Vertibirds came spinning out of the explosion, and the both of us started running from the compound as fiery parts of the choppers sailed down to Earth. I stopped, and turned my head back, watching the large clouds of smoke rise, and a few more explosions go off.

The two of us, Fawkes, the massive and mutated beast, and I, minisucule in comparison to him, stood beside each other, the wind pressing against us, and the fires gleaming on the rocks. I wasn't sure how long we had viewed the fires, but I remember looking over at his face for a moment, his almost lipless and grotesque form, and feeling a strange feeling creep inside my heart. A friend...

It was nice to have one again, that was for sure.


	4. Uncommon Tenderness

Fluff!

Sort of.

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><p>Dunking my head in the irradiated pond, I sloshed around for a moment to rid my hair of some of the dirt and grime. Inwardly, I slowly began to think back to warm showers, and shampoo in the Vault. <em>No shampoo or showers out here,<em> I thought bitterly. The Wasteland was as oppressive as ever, the sun beating down on our heads. I turned my gaze back to Fawkes, who was busily investigating every last unturned stone out here. I couldn't help but crack a small smile, something about him was sweet, and child-like.

Well, except when he was tearing into enemies with that gattling lazer of his. I usually jumped and flinched when he howled in his crazed laughter and filled random assailants with the flurries of light. At times, I almost forgot he was my ally. I liked his fascination with the radio, too. He would listen intently to Three Dog rant and rave about, _That kid from Vault 101_, and was even more fascinated by the music. It was like I had opened up a whole new world for him, and in an ironic and literal kind of way, I had.

I stepped from the water, and pulled my black hair back from my face, brushing the dirt from my clothes. The bullet belt I'd fixed for myself was starting to come apart, I had noticed, and I had a tear in my pant leg from our last little encounter with a radscorpion.

"Let's go," I said flatly, and Fawkes turned his gaze from the cloudless blue sky back to me. For some strange reason, I felt my heart quiver in my chest for a moment, and I turned my gaze sharply, fanning some air towards my face. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Yes, let's." Fawkes replied, stomping towards me and following me. "May we listen to the radio?" He asked, his voice thick and unused.

I nodded, messing around on the knobs on my Pip-Boy, and then continuing on. The journey was a quiet one, aside from the occasional roar of an enemy or Three Dog's rants. The thought struck me that maybe Fawkes was unable to keep many conversations going because of his imprisonment for so long. Not that it mattered too terribly for me, I rarely was spoken to these days, considering the only companion I had was a dog. Stopping for a moment to catch my breath, I pulled some water from my bag and hastily drank it down. Pausing for a moment, I felt Fawkes' milky eyes trail to the water. Pulling it away from my lips, I turned my gaze to the hulking mutant. "Are you thirsty?" I asked softly, holding the water out to him.

The gesture of kindness was alien to him, so for a moment, he didn't react. Finally, he cautiously held his hand out, not grasping the water from me. I set it in his huge hands, realizing he would probably have acciedentally hurt me if he had just taken it. He drank the last of it down rather quickly, and I rummaged through my bag to find another for him to drink. Considering he was twice the size of me, he probably needed to drink more, too. "Uh, here." I said, pulling another from my bag. Once again he took it from me, this time addressing me in his gruff voice. "Thank you, my friend."

"You can just call me Clara," I said with a shrug, and he nodded. Testing the words out for a moment, "Clara."

I felt the strange feeling creep up on me again, but shrugged it aside and kept going. Vault 101 seemed like ages away, but we were actually making pretty good time. The sun was still hanging up in the sky, and I could feel beads of sweat trickling down the back of my neck. A few miles from the Vault, it was as if the floodgates had opened, and Fawkes finally started talking. Not necessarily talking, I suppose, just asking tons of questions. He asked why most of my hair was gone, and I had replied that I had shaven a side of it one day out of anger, and had just gotten accustomed to it. "Why?" Fawkes asked, curiousity flaring.

"Butch," I seethed, rubbing my temples. "A barber from my Vault, well, _the _barber from my Vault, had refused to cut my hair. So I got a little frustrated and decided to buzz most of it off. I stopped before I lost too much, and just decided I liked it this way, I guess." I said this with a shrug, feeling a little sheepish.

"What was the Vault you grew up in like?" He pressed, footsteps loud behind me. He was standing awfully close, and at times I could feel his hot breath on my neck.

"It was nice," I replied, not sure how else to explain it. The memories of the Vault were so distant, it was if they belonged to someone else. "It was safe there, atleast. Until Dad left..." I trailed off, scratching my head.

"Your dad?" Fawkes inquired, and I nodded. "Yep, Dad. Things were all fantastic," I motioned my hands in the air in the shape of a rainbow, only confusing the mutant, who huffed. "Until he left, that is. Then the Overseer went nuts and blah, blah..." I turned to him, a smirk on my face. "You don't really want to hear about this stuff, right? I'm probably boring you to death."

Fawkes shook his head, "On the contrary, I am..." I could tell he was struggling to find the words. "Very interested in what you have to say, Clara."

I smiled, shaking my head and feeling a tiny wave of happiness pushing through me. "You're sweet." I said softly, and kicked a few rocks out of the way of my path.

A few more hours passed, lengthy ones at that, in which we had been ambushed by raiders and swarmed by a bunch of vicious dogs. I had managed to emerge unscathed from both of the fights, but Fawkes had been knicked a couple times by some bullets. That was the thing about those chem crazed raiders, they couldn't aim for shit. We had already lost too much time, and the sun was falling down over the horizon. I had frantically searched for as much trash as I could, and started a small fire. Fawkes was very intrigued by the fire, and it was almost as if he couldn't believe I had actually created it. For a moment, in a childish way, I had felt proud of myself.

Rolling out a sleeping mat and handing him a large wool blanket, I yawned and stretched, sitting across from him in front of the fire. Fawkes was still staring at the fire, when I glanced up and noticed a trail of dried blood on his temple. "Ouch," I said, and his gaze returned to me. "Something wrong?"

I pulled a rag from my bag, and splashed a little water on it. "Here, hold still." I said, and he flinched for a moment when I edged over to him and pressed the cloth to his head. I could tell he was uncomfortable, obviously not used to such close contact that didn't involve hits or kicks. Hopefully he would get over this shying away thing soon, I thought, and continued rubbing away the blood. I went to work on the cut on his arm, careful not to press too hard. "Does it hurt?" I asked, my brown eyes meeting his, raising a brow as I waited for his reply.

"No," He stated, staring down at me. He seemed confused again, but didn't voice any complaints. I finally finished, and applied a small bandage to his arm. I went back to my mat, and laid out on it. Yawning lazily, I pulled my leather jacket off, and my boots. I pulled my blanket over myself, turning my back to the fire, and to the mutant.

"Goodnight Fawkes," I said simply, and started to drift off.

"Goodnight," He replied, and then there was silence.


End file.
